‘Eagle’ nests at Tokyo festival

Thriller's international premiere on Oct. 2

Japanese thriller “Midnight Eagle” will open the Tokyo Intl. Film Festival, fest officials announced Monday.

Fest runs Oct. 20-28.

“Midnight Eagle” stars Takao Osawa (“Helen the Baby Fox”) as a photographer who witnesses the crash of a U.S. stealth plane and becomes involved in an international hunt for its secret payload — a warhead that could endanger the entire Japanese nation. The helmer is Izuru Narushima, (“Fly, Daddy, Fly”); costars are Yuko Takeuchi (“Ring”) and Hiroshi Tamaki (“Waterboys”).

Based on the eponymous novel by Tetsuo Takashima, the pic was shot with the full cooperation of Japan’s Defense Agency and Ground and Air Self-Defense forces. The $10 million budget was supplied by a consortium led by Universal Japan. Shochiku will release on Nov. 23 in its nationwide theater chain and is repping internationally.

“Midnight Eagle” will have its international preem Oct. 2 in Los Angeles.